Questions from a galaxy far far away

[JMINDY]

Not a great deal... New tires are about $222 @ TSRACING... Rims are about $30/ea. @ BMI... so saving $40-$50 on new vs. used equipment. Tires may have a little wear, but what about the rims?

Will they even fit? You currently have 8˝ rims, possibly 4x4 bolt pattern? I can't tell by the photo, but those look like 3 bolt pattern, probably 2-13/16˝? You may need to buy new rear hubs for them to fit... And what's the diameter of your sprocket on your axle? Will you have ground clearance going from 18˝ to 11˝ wheel? How about ID of the front wheel bearing the same as your front spindles? Just some things to go over before buying...

 

[luke_skywalker]

so did some more measuring after i raised it of the ground

front spindle bolt for tire is 3/4"
rim is 6"
tire is 13 x 5.00 - 6

back hub is 6"
nuts are 4 x 3" spacing
tire is 18 x 8.5 - 8

there is also about 1" that the rear sprocket is below the frame for ground clearance

thinking just get a whole new rear axle and a less tooth sprocket to lower my gear ratio.. something like a 33t so my ratio will be 6:1 with the jack-shaft config. (will that blow anything? having such a low tooth count at the rear?) 4 new tires, 2 new rear hubs and start configuring and tinkering from there. the axle itself is rusty.. straight.. but rusty.. maybe i can dip it in CLR or something , whatever the solution, im getting a newer rear end.

 

[chancer]

I don't know if or where you will find a 33 axle tooth gear.
As far as any problems Sid our resident "expert" recently told someone the issue with small gears is they just don't las as long.
Your current setup is:
"luckily i am able to count them for you all, i think (hard to get in for a great view) they are setup as follow (starting from clutch) -i counted twice to make sure
10 20 11 47"

Yes the 33 tooth will het you 6:1 but I was thinking: It may be easier and cheaper to swap out the jack shaft gears: 10 18 14 47 Will get you 6.043:1

BTW I use this Calculator http://www.affordablegokarts.com/GearCalc.php

Edit. Before you tear it all down. Keep the rear tires off the ground and let it idle. The axle will spin, hold emory cloth to it and watch the rust disappear

 

[itsid]

if you want to alter the ratio and keep the jackshaft your best bet is to change the js sprockets.

Personally, I'd get rid of those nasty steel mower wheels and install a nice set of proper kart wheels..
yes, that means a few hundred bucks are to be spend (new parts)
but it's soo much nicer on a frame like yours IMHO.

And frankly, that's to be done before you mess with the ratios; and the reason is simple...
with smaller wheels and your current ratio, you will have a nasty torque and thus take off.

Just once you really would want to test that, trust me, you do
being fast is fun alright, but being quick is amazing...

'sid

 

[luke_skywalker]

changing the Jack-shaft sprockets makes more sense as well and cheaper i will definitely test drive before i alter anything after the hub/wheel change which i should get around to over the next week. maybe i will like it just the way it is with smaller tires.

will give Emory cloth a go. cheaper than a new axle and see what happens once i am done with that

this forum is the best i tell ya.. the best.

 

[landuse]

changing the Jack-shaft sprockets makes more sense as well and cheaper i will definitely test drive before i alter anything after the hub/wheel change which i should get around to over the next week. maybe i will like it just the way it is with smaller tires.

will give Emory cloth a go. cheaper than a new axle and see what happens once i am done with that

this forum is the best i tell ya.. the best.

You can also use a wire wheel on your drill to take the rust off

 

[luke_skywalker]

so this evening got the seat and front wheels off. fun times, but the mosquitoes where getting atrocious even IN my gazebo.

my gearing is actually as follows, 10 20 11 49 (i miscounted.. i swear i can count good) and my actual ratio is almost 9:1 (to be exact 8.909:1) fun times ahead

chain: the front is a 40 and rear is 41

front axle is 5" x 3/4
i didn't have a tool to accurately measure the angle, but i will find a way

then i had a snack

 

[luke_skywalker]

so i have come to tires and during my research i am a bit lost as there are so many different size, types, configuration differences

for the front i am considering going 10x4.5-5 or 10x5-5

the spindle is 3/4, so am i correct to assume i need a 3/4 bearing for the direct mount rim? what is the difference between a hub and a direct spindle mount wheel aside from cost?

for the rear i am considering going 11x6.5-5 with a live axle mount rim and use the current axle i have (1" axle, 1/4 keyway, with 3/4 tapper nut) http://www.gopowersports.com/5-live-axle-wheel-and-hub-1-bore/

what are the draw backs to having one of those split hubs? aside from having to use a tube

as for tires, there are tons on ebay, so i was just gonna get some decent rain tires, i dont want slicks. 10" in the front, 11" in the back.. or should i go 11 all around and have 11x4.5-5 in the front and 11x6.5-5 in the back.

any advice or suggestions from real live people would not go unread or appreciated, even suggestions on wheel sets, i been to BMI, MGF, kart parts depot, gopowersports.com, ebay, northerntool, gokartusa.com and i am sure there are more..

round of hi 5's.